The Apulian regional election of 2005 took place on 3-4 April 2005.

Nichi Vendola

Nichi Vendola

Nicola "Nichi" Vendola is an Italian left-wing politician and currently the President of Apulia.-Life:Born in Terlizzi, province of Bari , Vendola had been a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation since the age of 14; he studied literature in university, presenting a dissertation about...

 (Communist Refoundation Party

Communist Refoundation Party

The Communist Refoundation Party is a communist Italian political party. Its current secretary is Paolo Ferrero....

) defeated incumbent Raffaele Fitto

Raffaele Fitto

Raffaele Fitto is an Italian politician, current Minister for Regional Business in Berlusconi IV Cabinet.-Biography:Raffaele Fitto was born in Maglie, Province of Lecce. His father, Salvatore Fitto, who was an exponent of the Christian Democracy and President of Apulia from 1985, died in...

 (Forza Italia

Forza Italia

Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....

).

The success of Vendola came somewhat unexpected. In a Southern Italian Region, expected to be morally conservative, Vendola, a communist

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

 and a homosexual

Homosexuality

Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...

, defeated Fitto, a Christian democrat

Christian Democracy

Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...

. Vendola was the first candidate ever to be appointed by its coalition through a primary election

Primary election

A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

 instead of agreements between parties. A defeat of Vendola might have resulted in a cancellation of the primary election of The Union for choosing the candidate for Prime Minister in the 2006 general election

Italian general election, 2006

In the Italian general election, 2006 for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy held on April 9 and April 10, 2006 the incumbent prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the center-right House of Freedoms, was narrowly defeated by Romano Prodi, leader of the center-left The...

.

Results

Candidates & parties	votes	votes (%)	seats
Nichi Vendola Nichi Vendola Nicola "Nichi" Vendola is an Italian left-wing politician and currently the President of Apulia.-Life:Born in Terlizzi, province of Bari , Vendola had been a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation since the age of 14; he studied literature in university, presenting a dissertation about...	1,165,536	49.8	42+1
Democrats of the Left Democrats of the Left The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic Italian political party and part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition, which merged with a number of centrist and leftist groups to form the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007...	356,369	16.6	14
Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy	208,806	9.7	8
Communist Refoundation Party Communist Refoundation Party The Communist Refoundation Party is a communist Italian political party. Its current secretary is Paolo Ferrero....	109,146	5.1	4
Italian Democratic Socialists Italian Democratic Socialists The Italian Democratic Socialists were a small social-democratic political party in Italy. Led by Enrico Boselli, the party was the direct continuation of the Italian Socialists, the legal successor of the historical Italian Socialist Party...	86,096	4.0	3
UDEUR Populars	70,293	3.3	3
Apulian Spring	55,335	2.6	3
Party of Italian Communists Party of Italian Communists The Party of Italian Communists is a communist political party in Italy. Its long-time leader is Oliviero Diliberto.-Foundation and early years:...	48,141	2.2	2
Italian Democratic Socialist Party Italian Democratic Socialist Party The Italian Democratic Socialist Party is a minor social-democratic political party in Italy. Mimmo Magistro is the party leader. The PSDI, before the 1990s decline in votes and members, had been an important force in Italian politics, being the longest serving partner in government for Christian... –Aut. Soc.–MRE	47,511	2.2	2
Italy of Values Italy of Values Italy of Values is a centrist, populist and anti-corruption political party in Italy. The party, which is affiliated to the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party , is headed by former Mani pulite prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, who entered politics in 1996.The party aims to gather and give...	38,120	1.8	1
Federation of the Greens Federation of the Greens The Federation of the Greens is a green political party in Italy, which includes also a large eco-socialist faction. Since 2009 the party leader is Angelo Bonelli.-Early years:...	33,309	1.6	1
others	12,356	0.6	-
Raffaele Fitto Raffaele Fitto Raffaele Fitto is an Italian politician, current Minister for Regional Business in Berlusconi IV Cabinet.-Biography:Raffaele Fitto was born in Maglie, Province of Lecce. His father, Salvatore Fitto, who was an exponent of the Christian Democracy and President of Apulia from 1985, died in...	1,151,405	49.2	28+1
Forza Italia Forza Italia Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....	381,663	17.8	10
National Alliance National Alliance (Italy) National Alliance was a conservative political party in Italy.Gianfranco Fini was the leader of the party since its foundation in 1995, however he stepped down in 2008 after being elected to the nominally non-partisan post of President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and was succeeded by...	259,563	12.1	7
Apulia First Apulia First Apulia First is a regionalist-centrist political party in Italy active in Apulia.The party was lanched in 2005 as a civic list in support of Raffaele Fitto, the outgoing President of the Region of Forza Italia...	196,281	9.2	5
Union of Christian and Centre Democrats	167,038	7.8	4
New Italian Socialist Party–PRI Italian Republican Party The Italian Republican Party is a liberal political party in Italy.The PRI is party with old roots that originally took a left-wing position, claiming descent from the political position of Giuseppe Mazzini...	48,109	2.2	1
others	10,099	0.5	-
Others	21,450	0.9	-
Total	2,338,391	100.0	70

Sources: Ministry of the Interior and La Repubblica